Tomorrow Is A Long Time

"Tomorrow Is A Long Time" is a nice little tune by Bob Dylan. It's relatively simple 3-chord song with a twist.

Start off with a G major chord and strum for 3 beats of the measure. On the fourth beat, take your first finger off the 5th string, 2nd fret and move it to the 4th string, 2nd fret and mute the 5th string with the pad of your 2nd finger. You will now be play notes of (from low to high): G x e g b g for a chord by the name of "G6"

Then go back to the G major chord for the first beat of the next measure.

You can use this G6 chord in a lot of other applications, too - not just this one tune by Mr. Dylan. Try it out when strumming to yourself, or when you're trying to come up with an idea for a new song.

It's fun and sounds kind of cool, too.

Who is practicing?

Only you know for sure.

You have to be your own watchdog and find the discipline to make yourself practice. Don't rely on others to prompt you to practice your instrument.

Remember, there are all kinds of practice - new material, conditioning, exercises for speed and dexterity, sight reading, transposing, listening, creating new music and/or sounds. So, don't think you only have to practice your lesson from the week before. Of course, you should keep on the path you and your teacher have chosen, as everything new builds on something old.

Even Keith Richard from the Rolling Stones admitted that he is "about half way there" when asked how he thought of himself as a guitar player. There is always something you can do to learn more about your instrument. Even the most successful, influential and talented artists strive to be better. So should we all.

Back to School?

So, what did you accomplish over the summer? Did you learn some new songs? Did you work on your "chops"? Have you gotten better? I hope you used the long break to your advantage.

Many of you will be heading back to school and will have less time to play your instruments, but it is important to make some time each day so you don't slip backwards. Remember, it's better to play 10 minutes a day than it is to play 40 minutes one day and nothing for 4 days.

Schoolwork is very important, so don't let that slip, but plan your time so you can play your instrument some each day. Reward yourself with 15 minutes of playing after you finish 20 vocabulary problems. Or, play your guitar right after you get done with your homework...that will give you something to look forward to when you're done with math or geography.

Or, how about playing yourself a bed-time song right before hitting the sack? Music can help you relax and, who knows (?) you might even sleep better too.

Hot Fun In The Summertime....

There are tons of songs about Summer (the season, not the girl). Set a goal for yourself to learn at least one song about summer over the summer.


Here are some suggestions for songs about summer and fun in the sun:


In The Summertime - Mungo Jerry (3-chord blues rock - easy to play)
Dancing In The Street - Martha & The Vandellas
Hot Fun In The Summertime - Sly & The Family Stone
Sunny Afternoon - The Kinks
Summer Girls - LFO
Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles
Summertime Blues - Eddie Cochran and Blue Cheer
Summertime - many different bands covered this one
Summer Breeze - Seals & Crofts

School's Out For Summer.....

So what do all you guitar players do now?

Play your guitar of course!

Instead of watching more TV or playing a bunch of video games, take some time to play your instrument and make a lot of progress over the summer. Jazz musicians call it "going to the woodshed" which means focusing on your instrument and getting better at it.

Use the summer to devote more time to your guitar studies, if only to double your normal practice time from 30 minutes to 60 minutes a day. Or from 15 minutes to 30 minutes a day. Include a bunch of finger exercises for strength and dexterity. Any free moment you have, pluck away!

Play outdoors, too! Take your guitar out on the porch, patio or lawn and play a song for the birds - after all, they sing to you every day! Take your guitar to the park or on a picnic, as you would a good friend.

By the time autumn rolls around, you'll have accomplished something that you can always look back on and be proud of. Are you really going to care if you score ten million points in a video game if you still can't play 'Smoke on the Water' or 'Stairway to Heaven' the way you want to?

Use the extra time this summer to build on your guitar technique and knowledge and make some real progress towards your goal of becoming a better guitar player. You'll be glad you did.

What is the best medicine?

Repetition!
After you are done learning a piece of music, or even a small section from a piece of music - a series of notes, or one measure or one line - repeat it.
Then, repeat it agin. And again. And again.

You get the picture, right?

Don't move on to the next section, measure or line until you have learned how to play that one perfectly. Once you can play it perfectly, repeat it! Play it perfectly many more times to make sure you will never ever have to "learn" it again.

Challenge yourself during a practice session to play something (whatever you are working on) perfectly 10 times before you stop for the day.

Exercises are for life

Do you have some good finger exercises you can use to keep them in shape? If not, you can find great guitar and bass exercises on the internet by doing a simple search on Google or Yahoo!


Keep in mind there are different types of exercises - some are for building speed, some for strength, some for dexterity, some for conditioning, some for left hand and some for right hand mechanics, and so on. Make sure you know what you are supposed to get out of each of the exercises you use. Ask your instructor or an experienced player for help if you're not sure.


Finger exercises are for life - you should not approach exercises as something to practice once or to play just until you learn it. Exercises should be used frequently to keep your fingers in shape, just like physical exercises are used to keep the rest of your body in shape.


Get in the habit of exercising your fingers and you'll see the benefits of keeping them in shape while your playing improves. Stronger hands make clearer sounding notes and chords, and faster fingers make your playing smoother.